


The Stowaway Swarm

by Paladog_Vyt



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hive Mind, Podfic Welcome, Referenced Carmilla Angst, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paladog_Vyt/pseuds/Paladog_Vyt
Summary: A detailed description of the eldritch Stowaway Hivemind, and how each Mechanism interacts with the horde.A fun little exercise, borrowing much (though not entirely) from IRL discord memes and interactions.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 94
Collections: Stowaways' Shenanigans





	The Stowaway Swarm

**Author's Note:**

> I was first introduced to the Stowaway-Hivemind concept by @fAaceTheFacts 'Stowaway Reports" fics. Go check those out!  
> https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641535
> 
> Furthermore, because we Stowaways are indeed a hivemind, this fic was developed in part by discord discussion. You should also read "The Care and Keeping of Stowaways" to see @SnailArmy 's take. It's hilarious and heartwarming.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019590

A crew of immortal space pirates deliberately seeking out the strangest, saddest, and most violent stories in the cosmos cannot remain normal themselves. The Mechanisms’ immortality skewed their perspectives on life, death, and meaning. Due to the nonlinear nature of time, the otherworldly touch of the Bifrost marked them long before they encountered it- indeed before any of them even stepped foot on the _Aurora_. According to Ivy’s calculations, their adventures had even left the crew “approximately 20% more radioactive than the average banana.”

In seeking tales to tell, the Mechanisms became a legend in themselves - harbingers. Extremely violent canaries in coal mines. If a certain cluster of faces started appearing on one’s home planet, it was best to flee as soon as possible, because the apocalypse was coming, one way or another. But even the planets they merely visited, passing through or performing songs from more climactic corners of the galaxy, were not left unscathed. The Mechanisms tended to come and go in a spree of violence, accidentally leave behind technology from other times and places, and, perhaps the most unusual side effect of all, they tended to create Stowaways.

Every Stowaway starts as an individual. Much as Yog-Sothoth warped those it came in contact with, some people, upon encountering the Mechanisms, walk away changed. The exact cause and nature of the transformation is unpredictable, despite years of Raphaella trying to scientifically elucidate the phenomenon. Greater exposure correlates with Stowaway emergence, but this seems to be because budding Stowaways will deliberately seek out their own acceleration, rather than a causal effect. Some people seem immune, able to withstand the entire band and walk away unaffected; for others, merely seeing a single picture on a wanted poster is enough to tip the line of dominoes. Whatever the underlying cause, Stowaways will seek out the crew at all costs, slipping onto the _Aurora_ (hence their name) and losing their individuality to the hivemind of all the Stowaways before them.

On the ship itself, Stowaways are rarely directly observed. They manifest as eyes peeking out of shadowy recesses, giggles and whispers echoing from within the walls, music echoing through the vents of the _Aurora_. When seen, they most often appear as a crowd. At a distance, they are easily mistakable for a simple huddle of people, traveling _en masse_ like a tour group. But on closer observation, they seem to have more hands and eyes than strictly proportional, and not all the body parts within the squirming cluster are human. A single body can detach from the cluster, and often does to act as an ambassador to the whole, but it should never be mistaken for an individual - what the segment sees and hears, the whole will know. The Stowaways are an anomaly, even in the already surreal setting of the _Aurora_ , and each Mechanism has their own way of interacting with them.

** Carmilla  **

The Stowaways existed before even Jonny was Mechanized to join the crew, though he would be the one to give them that title. In the days when Carmilla was the unquestioned captain of the ship, the Stowaways fawned over her. For her part, the Good Doctor had absolutely no aloofness or restraint toward the cluster. She embraced their worship, let herself be carried upon their grasping hands, talked with them readily, not only accepted but encouraged their offerings and devotional gifts. As other Mechanisms were added to the crew, Doctor Carmilla would whisper their secrets to the Stowaways. While it was never explicitly certain that they would act as her spies, any Mechanism assumed that what Stowaway eyes and ears heard would make it back to their Captain.

Some Stowaways claimed that Doctor Carmilla had been fully integrated into the hivemind, and thus remained connected to them, even after her body was ejected during the airlock incident. There were rumors that the Stowaways had even rescued her from that fate, and that she was hidden in the deepest inner circle of the wandering cluster.

The Stowaways could often be heard clattering around in the Doc’s lab, where even the Mechanisms dared not tread. It was sealed of course, but that did not matter. Stowaways knew the ship better than anyone save Nastya herself, and they could get in anywhere. What exactly they were doing within remained unclear, as they never emerged Mechanized or otherwise changed. Nevertheless, the fits of giggles and sound of machinery put many of the crew on edge. It was suspected that the Stowaways had killed Dr. Pilchard - Jonny thought out of sheer, accidental frenzy of their enthusiasm, Marius posited out of vengeance for daring threaten the crew they worshipped, and Tim swore you could see Pilchard’s arms in the cluster if you looked closely enough.

** Jonny **

Jonny eagerly shot the Stowaways. Raphaella had more than once pointed out to him that this was rather pointless. Much as mushrooms were only the fruiting body of a massive underground fungal network, killing a Stowaway did nothing but prune the external appearance of the hivemind. Stowaways were caused by Mechanisms, so as long as the crew existed, the cluster would continue to be renewed.

Nevertheless, Jonny continued leading Stowaway hunts, which the other crewmembers often joined, if only for the fun of it. Jonny claimed this was for the Stowaways’ own benefit - the herd had to be culled to remain healthy and strong. He resolutely ignored anyone pointing out that being from New Texas did not make him a cowboy or impart any knowledge about livestock herds.

The hunts were meant to be random - “keeps them alert, keeps them on their toes” - and indeed, some of these killing sprees couldn’t be connected to a particular cause. But Marius noted that Jonny was significantly more likely to “randomly” call a hunt when reminded of Dr. Carmilla, and this chance doubled if it was the Stowaways themselves mentioning the Doctor.

The Stowaways, for their part, didn’t seem to mind the game. Nobody shouted “first mate” louder than the disembodied voices from within the walls. They often laughed when Jonny threatened them, and if they really wanted to evade a hunt, they could always hide in the lab. Many sought out the irritable first mate on purpose, tittering gleefully when he deigned to speak to them, even if it was entirely in insults and swear words. Some had even been spotted proudly wearing handmade shirts or carrying banners reading “Jonny d’Ville would shoot me on sight.” 

** Ivy **

Ivy took a gentler approach to her interaction with the Stowaways, often feeding them unusable records - corrupted data, moldy paper, bookworm-infested texts beyond salvaging by even the best bookbinder. These fragments could not be stored in the Archive, lest they infect the entire library, but the Stowaways cared nothing for quality. Frankly, they were far too useful as an Archival garbage disposal for her to not take advantage.

Jonny complained bitterly about this habit. “It’s like feeding feral animals,” he would whine, “They stop being afraid of people like they’re supposed to be.” But Ivy would point out that Jonny alone was responsible for the most massive spikes in new Stowaway emergence - once after an attempt to make some kind of eldritch fear cult in London, and with constant weekly crime sprees - which usually shut him up. At the end of the day, it was hard for Ivy not to sympathize with beings who lived off of information. She couldn’t resist the joy of handing a Stowaway even the smallest scrap and watching it be reverently passed from hand to hungry hand, or held up like a holy relic.

** Brian **

Brian shared similar sympathies with Ivy, though he preferred to keep more of a distance. He rarely approached the hivemind directly, like the Archivist did. But he would leave them gifts, next to vent grates or near the lab doors. Some Stowaways had learned to take advantage of (especially MJE) Brian’s kindness, and would whisper requests for supplies and souvenirs for the Drumbot to dutifully supply. Even EJM regularly complied with these entreaties, as they were usually harmless - often scraps of paper or bits of metal - and the Stowaways were vocally grateful for each delivery.

Even when one of them had stolen pages of his diary, he couldn’t stay mad for long. He had to admit that hearing chirping, delighted choruses of “Smilebot Brian!” whenever he smiled reinforced those happy moments, and made him want to smile more. When he played alone in his own room - personal songs just for himself, or silly joke songs, odd instrumental experiments or anything else unfit for the band as a whole - he sometimes thought of it as a present to the hidden audience he knew was listening.

** Raphaella **

Raphaella studied the Stowaways as a scientific curiosity. For the purity of the experiments and observations, she maintained a strict distance and never interacted directly, instead drawing conclusions from observations of the rest of the crew’s interactions. While some aspects of the Stowaways remained stubbornly mysterious, she was able to piece together certain notes, patterns and theories.

_Food_

The Stowaways can consume regular human food. They accept food if offered and often cook in the _Aurora_ ’s kitchen themselves. However, this is treated more as a hobby than a biological necessity. No regular cuisine yet consumed, e.g. tea, cookies, pasta, (full records in prior notes, q.v.), activates the feeding frenzy. When offered records, drawings, sheet music, or other information, Stowaways will swarm, disseminate the information within the shared body, and generally have a rise in overall activity. So far observations indicate a 30% rise in vocalizations ( _p_ = 0.046), a 17% rise in parroting behavior ( _p_ = 0.031), a 21% increase in subsequent speculation and creative activity ( _p_ = 0.017) as well as a marginally significant tendency to seek out other Mechanisms more actively ( _p_ = 0.056). This period of heightened activity tends to remain for 3-5 hours before return to baseline.

_Individuality_

What distinctions may be made between Stowaways are still nebulous, but there are signs of some degree of variability. Audio recordings indicate they do sometimes refer to aspects of the hivemind with unique names, though the same observed body may have more than one name. Talents also seem to be preserved, with distinct Stowaways showing preferences in how they self-express (e.g. drawn art vs. music vs. writing). While imprinting and fixation on the crew of the _Aurora_ is a definitive feature of all Stowaways, they also seem to pick favorites, with consistent clusters of some Stowaways being more statistically likely than random chance to be found following, talking about, or otherwise near their particular chosen favorite ( _p_ = 0.029). However, not all Stowaways display this preferential behavior, and overall attachment to the Mechanisms overrides all. For example, Stowaways with marked favoritism for Gunpowder Tim will participate with equal enthusiasm in group celebrations of Ashes. Furthermore, the hivemind seems to mitigate any conflicts one may expect to arise from such favoritism, even when the result is paradoxical. Stowaways with strong affinity for Jonny or Nastya will more often echo negative or critical statements about Dr. Carmilla ( _p_ = 0.040) but are not less likely to participate in Stowaway activity centered on celebrating the doctor ( _p_ = 0.16, ns). It is currently unclear if the killing of an individual Stowaway body eliminates its contribution to the whole, or if the cognitive aspect remains preserved in the hivemind (akin to cloud-based data storage).

_Mimicry_

Stowaways have a marked predilection toward imitation and repetition. They often repeat the same phrases within the hivemind, and tend to show stereotyped, habitual responses to certain stimuli (e.g. Crewmember names, Him, Pretty, She, Her, Smilebot. See p. 17a for current full list). Stowaways will consume the same media repeatedly to the point of memorization, and develop call-and-response reactions to certain fragments. I speculate this may be how the hivemind retains and embeds information, and/or how they sustain group cohesion.

Stowaways will also memorize and perform Mechanism songs, sometimes accurately, sometimes with changes or additions. They also seem to attempt to replicate aspects of the _Aurora_ , making their own octokittens out of scrap materials, or drawing black veins in make-up on random objects and dubbing them “[item] d’Ville”. Further research is needed to determine whether these behaviors are simply another aspect of repetition/mimicry, or deliberate creative acts akin to worshipful offerings and dedications. My current hypotheses lean toward the latter.

** Marius **

Marius initially took up studying the hivemind as a psychological challenge. Unfortunately, he found the Stowaways seemingly intensely contradictory. They seemed to hold in their shared mind not only the facts of the Mechanisms, but hundreds and thousands of other timelines and alternate realities, that no single mind could entirely keep track of without becoming overwhelmed.

They professed a love for the crew that most closely resembled religious fanaticism, and many of their behaviors supported this. However, further observation revealed that Stowaways just as readily enjoyed seeing the crew in profound pain: probing the depths of the Mechanisms’ worst traumas and, when that didn’t suffice, constructing their own imagined tragedies. Masochistically, many of those expressing the most pain and sympathy at such conjectures were also those elaborating on and embellishing them further. Marius was no stranger to the cathartic psychological effects of tragedy, but it became somewhat disturbing to hear such things about himself. He stepped away and secluded himself from the Stowaways, determining the therapeutic relationship to be too familiar and ethically unsound. Much to his alarm, he soon found within himself the mounting urge to spill his guts to the Stowaways, handing over the secrets of his own history in florid detail.

** Tim, Ashes, Toy Soldier **

Most of the rest of the crew largely ignored the Stowaways. Tim would join in on Jonny’s hunts, just to get the thrill of gunfire and explosions. But left to his own devices, he would merely observe the Stowaways from a distance, passing within their domain but never speaking or engaging with them. Ashes was much the same. They were regularly part of the crime sprees that produced new Stowaways, but never stepped foot in Stowaway-occupied rooms and passages. Cool, calm and collected, they navigated the hivemind with a casual, detached air. The Toy Soldier was once found next to a cluster of Stowaways, stuck in an endless loop of “We love you” and “I’m just happy to be involved!” The hivemind claimed the Toy Soldier had gifted them their first Octokittens, which they treasured dearly. Though their relationship was relatively distant, they remained staunchly defensive of it when anyone, including other crewmembers, threatened the wooden automaton.

** Nastya **

Of all the crew, Nastya maintained the most separation from the Stowaways, outright avoiding and evading them. This did not stop the engineer from having her own devotees within the hivemind; it only changed the nature of their worship. For Nastya alone would the Stowaways hold back their prying hands and avert their gazes as a sign of respect. Ivy, as the crewmember closest to the Stowaways in a nonviolent capacity, became something of a gatekeeper or courier, receiving the gifts and offerings labeled for Nastya, which she occasionally accepted. She was content to leave alone if left alone - and the scrambling swarm was appropriately reverent toward the _Aurora_. If they ever harmed the ship, Nastya was determined she would succeed where Jonny failed, and bring about their utter annihilation.

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently some p[eople like references/footnotes? have at it:
> 
> Exposure leading to more Stowaways is just a pretty basic metaphor for seeking out more mechs content as you deep dive.  
> The hivemind has more eyes and hands because we be looking and reaching for content (both in acquiring media and kind of touch-yearning).  
> Not all the body parts are human because I'm a therian and I know we got some other alterhuman/voidpunk nonhuman folks.  
> Carmilla is, well, the Carmillazone where we get encouraged in fanart and told lore (secrets). The Pilchard thing was honestly unintentional, I just came up with "stowaways not afraid of lab" for carmilla reasons and snuck in canon when the opportunity arose. But there _was_ a discord joke a while back about someone on the server being Dr. Pilchard.  
> Jonny has TMA and weekly streams to bring about new Stowaways since we get big influxes from those. Jonny d'Ville would shoot you on sight is both a uquiz answer and I think a twitter?  
> Ivy (Morgan) provides old pics.  
> Drumbot sends merch (paper and bits of metal = posters and pins, cds). Also was thinking of joke songs like prometheus/come on and slam. I am the Stowaway that stole his diary, as a reference to the fic “Dear Brian”.  
> Food is the recipe and food channels. There are stowaways that go by multiple names. The favoritism is the Stans (e.g. #n Ashes Stan). Mimicry etc. is just kind of how meme culture and internet reactions work, with certain phrases or images or things becoming memetic.  
> Marius is reacting to both AU’s and sad mechs hours. Him wanting to share is a reference to the fact that Kofi is working on a backstory album for Marius.  
> Tim lurks in the discord but almost never posts. Ashes is often on Jonny’s streams.  
> Toy Soldier is not active in discord but I believe many Stowaways have received octokittens made by Jessica Law. In general the fandom loves TS, but when I wrote “including other crewmwmbers” I was particularly thinking of a recent discussion on how TS gets infantilized, to be the focus of an upcoming fic.  
> The performer for Nastya wishes to remain anonymous. The discord has sent their love indirectly through Morgan (Ivy).


End file.
